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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/05/marie-rose-joins-dead-or-alive-5-ultimates-roster-on-march-25/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/05/marie-rose-joins-dead-or-alive-5-ultimates-roster-on-march-25/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/05/marie-rose-joins-dead-or-alive-5-ultimates-roster-on-march-25/#comments
Tecmo Koei announced that a new character will join Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate's playable lineup later this month on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Marie Rose, previously seen in the Japan-exclusive Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade, will be released as add-on DLC for the console version of Ultimate. At just under five feet in height, Marie is the shortest fighter in the game, giving her an edge over beefier opponents like Bass and Bayman. A new patch for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will accompany Marie Rose's debut, adding the free Lorelei Stage as a playable arena.

The Marie Rose character pack will be available for $5.99 when it hits the PlayStation Network on March 25 and Xbox Live on March 26. Additional costumes are priced at $1.99 each.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>add-oncharacterdead-or-alive-5dead-or-alive-5-ultimatedlcmicrosoftplaystationps3xboxWed, 05 Mar 2014 12:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/11/wii-fit-trainer-super-smash-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/11/wii-fit-trainer-super-smash-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/11/wii-fit-trainer-super-smash-bros/#comments
In a "one more thing" moment at the Nintendo event this morning, it was announced that the Wii Fit Trainer will join the battle in Super Smash Bros.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dscharactere3-2013nintendosuper-smash-bros-2014wii-fitnesswii-fitness-trainerwii-uTue, 11 Jun 2013 14:36:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/diablo-3s-missing-runestones-found-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/diablo-3s-missing-runestones-found-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/diablo-3s-missing-runestones-found-at-gdc/#commentsIf you've followed Diablo 3's development for a long time, you might remember the idea of Runestones. They were meant to be actual in-game items that could supplement character abilities in various ways, such as adding a fire attack to a melee hit, or doubling the power of a spell for free. When the game arrived last year, the Runestone system was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the controversial Skill Rune system. So where did those Runestones go? Diablo 3's technical designer Wyatt Cheng said during a talk at GDC that they're still around, in one form or another.

The Runestone system was originally created to add flexibility to character skills, and to give players a chance to experiment and play around with new abilities after they had gained them through leveling up. The original idea had ten different effects that could be added to various abilities, including striking, lethality, efficiency, life-stealing, poison, slowing and so on. But ten was too many, Blizzard decided, and they opted to boil them down into five different stone types (Crimson, Obsidian, Indigo, Golden and Alabaster) that would each affect skills in a few different ways.

Cheng said having actual stones in the inventory worked in a few different ways. It gave the system a sense of discovery, as players enjoyed seeing which stones granted certain effects, and it accomplished the original goal of allowing players to experiment with customization. Managing the stones in the game's inventory was a "nightmare," according to Cheng, and player expectations didn't always match what the stones actually provided.

In the end, the team went with the existing Skill Rune system, which allowed Blizzard to give specific skill and stone combinations more "flavorful names," and let the team make sure that the added effects were appropriate for the skills they matched. But Cheng said the effects were still in there: Some runes still slow opponents or add more damage to attacks, and those were the effects originally conferred by the stones of Indigo and Crimson.

The Creative Assembly has decided to include the likeness of one of their fans, named James, in the upcoming Total War: Rome 2. James visited the studio last year the day after the game was announced, and unfortunately passed away from a bout with liver cancer just recently. The Creative Assembly says he was the first person in the world from outside the studio to play the game, and character artist Mauro Bonelli offered to assemble a model of James from reference photos and measurements.

The screenshot above is a mockup for now, as Creative Assembly community manager Craig Laycock says the company isn't sure where he'll end up. But he will be in there, according to Laycock, and the team is "determined to make it a fitting tribute" to their fan when the game is on shelves later this year.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charactercoolcraig-laycockfanjameslikenessliver-cancermauro-bonellipcrepresentationsadthe-creative-assemblytotal-war-rome-2Thu, 21 Mar 2013 04:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/aquaman-joins-injustice-gods-among-us/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/aquaman-joins-injustice-gods-among-us/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/aquaman-joins-injustice-gods-among-us/#commentsThe Justice League of America's most under-appreciated superhero, Aquaman, has been confirmed as the latest addition to the cast of playable fighters for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Slightly reminiscent of Mortal Kombat's Rain, Aquaman's abilities appear to walk a fine line between trident strikes and water/lighting-based elemental attacks, as shown in the character's debut trailer at IGN.

Injustice's version of Aquaman appears to be closer to the New 52 version of the character, rather than any of his legacy incarnations, due to the fact that he fights with a trident and still has both hands. This is unlike the longest running version of Aquaman from the 1990s, who lost his left hand in 1994 and subsequently battled with a hooked prosthetic harpoon spearhead attached to a mystical, retracting rope.

Actually, now that we think about it, maybe that would have hit a little close to home.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aquamancharacterinjustice-gods-among-usjustice-leaguemicrosoftNetherrealm-Studiosnintendoplaystationps3Warner-Bros-Interactive-Entertainmentwii-uxboxWed, 13 Feb 2013 23:59:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/19/avengers-battle-for-earth-features-favorites-familiar-faces/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/19/avengers-battle-for-earth-features-favorites-familiar-faces/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/19/avengers-battle-for-earth-features-favorites-familiar-faces/#commentsUbisoft has named all twenty characters appearing in Avengers: Battle for Earth, the upcoming fighter for Kinect (and then Wii U). You'll be able to spin off some psy-force as the Phoenix, embodied by the X-Man Jean Grey, and take command of the Skrull queen Veranke, among others. It's not surprising to see a big "Secret Invasion" influence, given the game's initial trailer. See the full list after the break.

Avengers: Battle for Earth will have you and your friends jumping around and debating the correct time for clobberin' on November 9. If you want to see some of these heroes throwing down right away, there's a demo available for download in the meantime.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avengersbattlecharactercharacter-listcharactersclobbering-timefightinggamekinectlistmarvelmarvel-avengers-battle-for-earthmarvel-entertainmentmicrosoftphoenixxboxFri, 19 Oct 2012 02:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/double-is-skullgirls-final-grossest-character/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/double-is-skullgirls-final-grossest-character/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/double-is-skullgirls-final-grossest-character/#commentsYou didn't think the entire Skullgirls character roster was going to be comprised exclusively of buxom cartoon vixens, did you? Reverge Labs had to do something to balance this stuff out, so what better way to show that it's what's on the inside that counts than to add a character whose insides are on her outsides?

Double, the terrible, moist hand/mouth creature above, is actually much more disgusting in motion, as you'll see in the walkthrough videos after the break. A shapeshifter, Double's fighting style is an amalgamation of the other styles in the game: She morphs into other characters to perform tweaked versions of their normals, and most of her specials are moves that didn't make it into their respective character's final moves list.

She's got some really original stuff as well, like a level-5 super that transforms her into an Easter Island head that spews bullet-hell projectiles from its mouth. We're intrigued, but also a little nauseous.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>characterdoublekonamimicrosoftplaystationps3PSNreverge-labsskullgirlswalkthroughXBLAxboxSat, 18 Feb 2012 13:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/rumor-kilik-and-elysium-added-to-soulcalibur-5/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/rumor-kilik-and-elysium-added-to-soulcalibur-5/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/rumor-kilik-and-elysium-added-to-soulcalibur-5/#commentsSoulCalibur 5's character roster has, historically, been chock-full of leaks. Clandestine screenshots were responsible for revealing Ezio and Raphael, and now it looks as though three new fighters may have been uncovered in an extremely similar fashion.

Two images, culled from NeoGAF's depths, show the most hated man in the world fan-favorite Kilik (sporting a shiny new bird hat), as well as newcomer Elysium, an angelic female of some kind who sports very little of anything. Speculation suggests that both characters will be "mimic characters" who are able to emulate the fighting styles of any other character, but at this point that appears to be unfounded.

Considering SC5's track record with character selection screenshots, however, we're cautiously optimistic regarding the validity of these photos. Check out the gallery below for high-resolution versions.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>characterelysiumkilikleakedmicrosoftnamco-bandaiplaystationps3SC5soulcalibur-5soulcalibur-vxboxWed, 18 Jan 2012 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/xiaoyu-and-m-bison-leaked-for-street-fighter-x-tekken/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/xiaoyu-and-m-bison-leaked-for-street-fighter-x-tekken/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/01/xiaoyu-and-m-bison-leaked-for-street-fighter-x-tekken/#comments
The cross-over character cavalcade of fun that is Street Fighter X Tekken continues to hemorrhage new fighters, albeit this time the announcement is somewhat less flashy (and far more unintentional) than previous roster reveals.

A new screenshot uploaded to SFXT's Xbox Live Marketplace page, upon close inspection, shows the portraits of Iron Fist veteran Ling Xiaoyu and Shadowloo head honcho M. Bison, as seen in the zoomed and enhanced image above. This brings the game's character stable to an even 30 fighters, PS3/Vita exclusive peeps not included. We're excited about the prospect of psycho-crushing our foes once again, but we also can't help but be disappointed by SFXT's severe lack of snake-arm minotaurs and farting dinosaurs.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomcharacterleakLing-Xiaoyum-bisonmicrosoftnamconamco-bandaiplaystationplaystation-vitaps3sfxtstreet-fighterstreet-fighter-x-tekkentekkenvitaxboxXiaoyuSun, 01 Jan 2012 22:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/pixel-artist-releases-free-pack-of-gaming-related-minecraft-char/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/pixel-artist-releases-free-pack-of-gaming-related-minecraft-char/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/pixel-artist-releases-free-pack-of-gaming-related-minecraft-char/#comments
Sure, you've created a working computer in Minecraft, or recreated a Mega Man game, but maybe you should spend a little time customizing the most important part of that blocky world: yourself. Pixel artist Gary Lucken, also known as Army of Trolls, has created a pack of 15 different Minecraft character skins featuring video game luminaries like Mario Link and Viewtiful Joe, plus Street Fighter's Ken and Ryu. The pack also has a few Star Wars characters in it, along with some Halloween and miscellaneous skins.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>army-of-trollsartistcharacterdownloadgary-luckenMinecraftpcpixel-artskinsFri, 22 Oct 2010 05:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/27/mass-effect-2s-subject-zero-looks-awfully-unfriendly/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/27/mass-effect-2s-subject-zero-looks-awfully-unfriendly/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/27/mass-effect-2s-subject-zero-looks-awfully-unfriendly/#comments
Man, if you thought Mass Effect's Urdnot Wrex was an uncongenial companion, get a load of the most recently revealed cast member of Mass Effect 2: The skin-headed, sailor-mouthed Biotic known as Subject Zero. Though she may lack social graces, she more than makes for it with combat adroitness and, for lack of a better word, assertiveness. She's what Destiny's child might call an "independent woman."

Then again, she's also what Rick James might call a very kinky girl -- the kind you don't take home to family gatherings where your mother is in attendance. Check out the very NSFW, Subject Zero-centric Mass Effect 2 trailer after the jump.

It's that time of year again -- the trees and lights are up in Azeroth, and Winter's Veil is upon us. Father Greatwinter is giving out gifts in Ironforge and Orgrimmar, and Blizzard devs are busy giving players the gift that keeps on giving: nerfs and more nerfs. Follow all of the wintry action at Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider -- if there's something under your tree that you need to know about, it'll be there, along with the usual cookies and milk.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charactercustomizationnerfspatch-3.0.8restaurantwinters-veilworld-of-warcraftwow-insiderWed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/14/wii-warm-up-prepare-a-face-to-meet-the-faces-that-you-meet/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/14/wii-warm-up-prepare-a-face-to-meet-the-faces-that-you-meet/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/14/wii-warm-up-prepare-a-face-to-meet-the-faces-that-you-meet/#commentsAfter discussing character creation and the lack of features (and faces) in Carnival Games, we spent a little time thinking about the different ways people approach customization in games that offer the option. We know a lot of gamers, after all, and we've noticed they all approach character customization differently. Some like to try to recreate themselves as closely as possible, while others will go all out with the craziest, most unrealistic avatars ever. Some people like to switch genders. Some like to recreate the likeness of a celebrity or a character from another game. What's your style? When given the chance to design your own avatar or character, how do you approach it? With Miis, do you use a Mii that resembles yourself, or something else?

Also, bonus points (in the form of applause and kudos) to readers who are familiar with the literary quotation in the title of today's post. No fair Googling!

Even with a diminished E3, there's no controlling the wave of rumors that hit the Internet every year before the show. Why fight it? From now until E3 hits, we'll be posting one piece of wild speculation every day. Some may be patently ridiculous, and others just might turn out to be true. Even some of the ridiculous ones might turn out to be true! Rest assured, everything will be totally made-up and unfounded. Except, of course, when we speak about all the ass Reggie is going to kick. That part? Totally true.

Rumor: The disembodied head of Dr. Kawashima will be revealed as a surprise character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl! The catch? You can only use him once per day.

Considering the continuing excitement over frequent updates to the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl site, we can't get the game out of our heads. It's always there, lurking, and sometimes it just bursts out as though emerging from a Poké Ball, so we thought it might be a good day to sit down and discuss both Brawl and Melee. Specifically, who did you wield as your weapon character of choice in Melee, and who do you think you'll use in Brawl? Will you stick with the same character (if you can), or perhaps switch to someone new (may we suggest Solid Snake?)? Of course, the best laid plans of mice and gamers sometimes fall by the wayside once we actually have a controller in our hands, but we'd love to hear what you think you'll do.

Anyone who was a gamer in the '80s and '90s remembers the days when you couldn't turn around without running into some sort of new platformer with a furry and/or cheesy mascot. These days, the selection is somewhat more limited. Sure, the Sony triumvirate of Sly, Ratchet and Jak are still going relatively strong, and occasional breakouts like Viewtiful Joe and Alien Hominid keep the 2D-platformer on life support, but it's pretty clear that platforming mascots' best days are behind them.

The Age's Screen Play blog was inspired by a page of forgotten advertising mascots to post up a list of some rightly forgotten platformer mascots of the recent past. Some fans might be mad to see big names like Sonic and Mega Man alongside true hasbeens like Bubsy and Aero the Acrobat. Personally, we feel the list could use some more additions. Where are Sega's Vectorman, Kid Chameleon and Chuck D. Head? Where's gun-wielding robot B.O.B.? Where's the Saturn's extremely appropriately named Bug!? Where's the useful information that could be in our brains instead of this obscure trivia?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>characterfurrymascotsnostalgiaplatformplatformerretroTue, 06 Feb 2007 18:20:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/17/unlock-all-of-mgs-pos-unique-characters/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/17/unlock-all-of-mgs-pos-unique-characters/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/17/unlock-all-of-mgs-pos-unique-characters/#commentsWhile driving around using the GPS system will get you some characters, the coolest ones have to be earned through the game. Or... through these cheats. A forum member from MGCN called SHADOW.EXE has uncovered passwords for what could be every unique character in the game. Check it out:

HUNTER-N is NULLLQ.N2 is PYTHONJUNKER is CUNNINGHAMERBE is GENEPK +ESP is URSULA (can't be got with ELISA at the same time)THE-L is ELISA (can't be got with URSULA at the same time)E.APPLE is EVAPM-EMS is PARAMEDICDARPA-1 is SIGHTR.R.R. is OCELOT1+2-3 is ZEROSATURNV is SOKOLOVIVN =RV is RAIKOVT.F-ACID is TELIKOMGA2VE is VENUS! TRAUMER is GAKO

GayGamer.net's list of the "Top 20 Gayest Video Game Characters" has created a firestorm of interest around the web -- enough to crash their server several times throughout the day. Looking over the list, you'll notice that there are no characters from an Xbox 360 game. Cloning Clyde doesn't even get an honorable mention, despite conquering single sex reproduction. I ask this only to atone for past slurs and innuendos: Is the 360 lacking diversity?

Note: Before the post police get on my...uh..ass, "gaymers" seems to be an accepted self-identifying term in the homosexual video game community. Deal with it.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>characterdiversitygayhomosexualliststopMon, 31 Jul 2006 23:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/08/3-final-fantasy-xiii-games-2-just-for-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/08/3-final-fantasy-xiii-games-2-just-for-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/08/3-final-fantasy-xiii-games-2-just-for-ps3/#commentsFinal Fantasy XII won't be out for the PS2 in the States until October, but we now have a glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII thanks to Square Enix's pre-E3 press event -- and this installment in the series won't be coming alone.

Like the different titles in the Compilation of FFVII collection of games and movies, the initially announced installments in the FFXIII universe will span multiple platforms which, in this case, include both the PS3 and sufficiently advanced mobile handsets. Not much is known about the mobile-bound Final Fantasy Agito XIII, but the subtitle-less version of FFXIII will concern a gun-and-sword-toting heroine in a futuristic world, while Final Fantasy Versus XIII will focus on "a spiky-haired character," "extreme action elements," and a primary theme of "bonding" (whatever that means). Anybody ready to "resist the world"?

The multiple titles might explain the earlier rumor reported in March that FFXIII was "practically close to being finished" (maybe only one of these games was nearing completion). Whatever the case may be, we're just happy that more than one not-so-Final-Fantasy will be hitting the next PlayStation in relatively rapid succession. RPG feasting: on the way.